Where to donate old glasses in Spain
There are several ways to donate old glasses in Spain, with optical shops and charitable organisations collecting used prescription glasses, reading glasses and sunglasses for reuse or recycling.
If you’ve got an old pair of glasses gathering dust in a drawer because your prescription has changed, don’t throw them away just yet. Here’s where to donate your old glasses in Spain, how the donation process works, and what happens to your unwanted spectacles once you hand them over.
Where to donate old glasses in Spain
I recently had my eyes tested and discovered that my prescription had changed, which meant that my current glasses were no longer quite right for me. So, as you do, I acquired some new ones and was left with perfectly decent pairs that I couldn’t really use any more.
We love a bit of Firmoo!
In my case, I bought my new glasses from Firmoo.es, which is an online optician I’ve now used twice. I’ve been very happy with them on both occasions, plus Alan has used them too and has also been happy with his glasses.
I should add that my experience hasn’t been entirely limited to simply ordering a pair and popping them on. On the latest occasion, I needed to change one of the pairs, and that was dealt with really well too, which is always rather more useful information about an online retailer than simply being pleased when everything goes according to plan.
I’m not suggesting that everyone should rush off and buy their next glasses from Firmoo. This isn’t a sponsored article and I’m not a glasses reviewer. But as I’ve used them myself more than once, and the experience has been solid, it seemed worth mentioning as part of the story.
The more interesting question was what to do with, and where to donate old glasses in Spain. They’re no longer suitable for me because my prescription has changed, but there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with them. They’re in great nick with no scratches. Throwing them in the bin seemed rather wasteful, particularly when there are people elsewhere who may be able to make use of them. Once I started rooting about the house, we found that between Alan and I, we actually had around 10 pairs. They’re no use to us… but they may help someone else. So that’s when I started looking into what you can actually do with old glasses in Spain.
It turns out there are some surprisingly well-established ways of giving them a second life.
Why is a nice thing to donate your old glasses in Spain?
For many of us, changing our prescription means that a perfectly serviceable pair of glasses suddenly becomes redundant. That doesn’t necessarily make them useless.
Lions Clubs International operates a worldwide eyeglass recycling programme. Donated glasses are collected, sorted and assessed to determine which can be reused. Suitable glasses are then included in inventories used by humanitarian eye-care missions. Glasses that are too damaged to be reused can instead be processed for material recovery.
Spain has its own Lions eyeglass recycling centre, the Centro de Reciclaje de Gafas Melvin Jones, in San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante. Established in 1997, the centre is part of the Federation of Lions Clubs of Spain and says it handles around 100,000 usable glasses and frames a year, with donations ultimately going to more than 35 countries.
So that old pair doesn’t necessarily need to end up in the bin.
Where can you donate glasses in Spain?
There are several established schemes, but two of the easiest options for most people are through optical chains with dedicated collection boxes.
ALAIN AFFLELOU
The ALAIN AFFLELOU Foundation runs its “Segunda vida a tus gafas” programme in partnership with Lions Clubs International.
Its network currently has hundreds of ALAIN AFFLELOU optical shops in Spain acting as collection points. You simply take your unwanted glasses to a participating shop and put them in the collection box.
The scheme accepts prescription glasses, reading glasses and sunglasses.
The glasses are collected from the shops and sent to the Lions recycling centre in San Vicente del Raspeig, where they are cleaned, checked, classified and prepared for reuse. Glasses that cannot be reused are recycled.
Find an ALAIN AFFLELOU optical shop
Multiópticas
Multiópticas also has an established glasses recycling programme in collaboration with the Lions. According to the Fundación Multiópticas, there are currently 600 collection boxes distributed among its optical shops. The organisation says more than 200,000 pairs of glasses have been donated since 2015 through the scheme.
The collected glasses go into the Lions recycling system, where they can be assessed for reuse and eventually reach people who need them. This makes Multiópticas another useful option if there is a branch close to you.
Fundación Multiópticas – Recicla tus gafas
What happens to the glasses?
It isn’t quite as simple as putting your old glasses in a box and sending them directly to someone who needs that particular prescription. That wouldn’t actually work very well. Someone in another country isn’t particularly likely to need exactly the exact same prescription that you happen to have abandoned. Instead, donated glasses go through a sorting and refurbishment process.
At the Melvin Jones centre, glasses are inspected and classified. Those considered suitable for reuse can then be matched to people who need them through humanitarian projects. This also explains why you shouldn’t worry too much about whether your old prescription is “useful”. The important thing is to donate the glasses rather than deciding for yourself that nobody could possibly use them.
Obviously, glasses that have been sat on or chewed by the dog are less promising. Yes, we speak from experience. Many years ago, our Pepper (R.I.P.) once “ate” a pair of Alan’s glasses before chucking the lenses into our pool.
Can you donate sunglasses?
Yes! Both the ALAIN AFFLELOU and Lions programmes accept sunglasses, and the Spanish Lions recycling centre distributes both prescription glasses and sunglasses through its humanitarian work. Sunglasses can be particularly useful in areas where protection from intense sunlight is important. Spain then.
What about broken or damaged glasses?
This is where things get slightly more complicated. The aim of these schemes is primarily to reuse glasses, rather than simply send every pair for conventional recycling.
Lions says that collected glasses are assessed to determine which can be used. Those that cannot be reused can enter material-recovery processes instead.
So if your frames are completely snapped and the lenses are badly damaged, don’t assume they will become somebody else’s glasses. They may instead be recycled for their component materials. If you’re unsure whether a particular pair is suitable, the simplest solution is to take it to one of the participating collection points and let the organisation decide.
What about the case?
You don’t HAVE to donate the case with the glasses. The recycling process is concerned primarily with the glasses themselves. If your optical shop specifically accepts cases, you can ask, but don’t assume that an old hard case will automatically form part of the donation. The Spanish Lions recycling centre has previously stated that rigid spectacle cases are not required for its recycling programme.
Can I send my glasses directly?
Yes, although this isn’t necessarily the most convenient option if you have a participating optician nearby.
The Melvin Jones centre in San Vicente del Raspeig accepts donated glasses directly. Abre Sus Ojos, an organisation working with disadvantaged groups, currently publishes the following details for sending used glasses:
Centro de Reciclaje de Gafas “Melvin Jones”
C/ Espronceda 22, Bajo
03690 San Vicente del Raspeig
Alicante, Spain
The organisation gives the centre’s telephone number as 966 10 26 35 and lists opening hours of 09:00–13:00.
If you’re planning to send a large quantity rather than one or two pairs, it would be sensible to contact the centre first.
A small thing that can make a big difference
Most people don’t give their old glasses much thought once they’ve got a new prescription. They land in the junk drawer, never to see the light of day again… much like odd bits of plastic, screws and food delivery leaflets from 2 years ago.
But glasses are unusual as unwanted household items. They may be obsolete for you while still being perfectly usable for someone else.
Spain already has an established network for collecting them, with hundreds of optical shops participating in national schemes and the aforementioned dedicated Lions recycling centre in Alicante.
So before putting that old pair in a drawer for the next decade, or throwing it away, check whether there’s a collection point near you. Your prescription may have changed but another person’s need for a pair of glasses hasn’t.
Useful links for where to donate old glasses in Spain
Elle, along with Alan, is the owner of Spain Buddy and the busy web design business – Spain Web Design by Gandy-Draper.
Born a “Norverner”, she then spent most of her life “Dann Saff” before moving to Spain in 2006. Elle’s loves are Alan, the internet, dogs, good food, and dry white wine – although not necessarily in that order.
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